Punishment fit for a Usurper King
by LilyAgreste2k
Summary: When the presumed dead Usurper King Zant is found alive in the forest of the Twilight Realm, he is brought before the rightful Princess of Twilight. He is spared from death, but what will his punishment be, and will he ever regain the trust of Midna? A fanfic based off a roleplay, may contain some lemon/smut in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

A soft and dry breeze whistled around the darkened realm. The wind shook the smooth black trees, their twisted branches hitting against one another, their leaves glowing with an ethereal radioactive light of green, blue, and purple, as did much of the world itself. Suspended floating masses that housed many villages within the realm were surrounded by a brilliant twilight sky, identical in appearance whether looking from above or below. Dusk was eternal here, and the only distinction between this and the Light Realm's sky during the golden hour was the floating black flakes that drifted upward into the vast sky. The dim light from the sky shone through the branches of the trees, down to the grass below, turning otherwise dark groves into brilliant displays of various colors.

The Twilight Realm had been very calm since the departure of the Hero of Light, and peace was restored to the realm once Midna had reclaimed her rightful place on the throne. The Twili people were happy to have her safe and sound now that the invasion of the Usurper King Zant had ended, and the vile man was supposedly dead. He had been brought to justice by the hands (or rather, the hair) of their faithful and loyal Princess Midna.

Although Midna had seen Zant literally explode in front of her very eyes, had felt the life leaving his body as he choked on his own blood, she also felt his presence still. Weak, but definitely there. It frightened the Princess to think that he was still alive and roaming free, yet she did not want to frighten her people and send the realm into a blind panic. No, she would just assume he was dead like the rest of her loyal twilis, and hope that they were all correct.

The horrors that had been wreaked upon the realm had been undone by both Link and Midna, the princess cleaning up the remainder of the wreckage after her safe return to her birthplace. Everything was returned and restored to its former glory, and the citizens of the realm seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Zant's reign had left the residents scarred, shaken, and frightened, but with Midna as their leader once more, it was like everything was back in its place. Perhaps now, the twilis thought, things would begin to look up.

The princess's duties had never ceased since her return, though as she sat upon her throne one day, the doors unexpectedly burst open, the stone colliding against the wall causing a deafening echo.

"He- He's alive! Your majesty, we found him in the northern part of the dark forest, hidden away in a cave!" Came the voice of one of Midna's messengers, a young twili male known as Khoza. His breath came in pants and was sharp at each intake.

"Khoza, calm. Tell me what the issue is, and I'll be sure to fix-"

"Your grace, it is Zant!"

The entire room went silent. The hustling and bustling of the castle seemed to be put on pause as these words echoed through the throne room and around the halls. For a brief moment, Midna had a look of panic cross her face. She had felt his presence but hadn't wanted to believe it. Yet here was her most trusted messenger, telling her that her old childhood friend and now enemy was still alive. He had been found.

"Well, don't just stand there, bring him in. I would like to seem him for myself." Midna said, her expression shifting back to her normal determined, yet soft look.

There was shrieking coming from outside, before guards heaved the thrashing man into the throne room, forcing him down on his knees on the stairs at the bottom of the throne, hands tied behind his back. The blades at the end of their lances crossed together at his pale throat. His armor was still present on his shoulders, but the metallic grimacing mask was down, exposing his true identity that everybody now knew far too well. His hood had been put down, revealing his short burgundy hair and dark pointy ears, the green runes at them glowing softly, as much as the symbol on his forehead. Proof that he was extremely agitated. Black blood ran down from the corner of his fissured lips- and it wasn't his. When he had been found in the cave, he had grown violent, disoriented and didn't quite know what was going on. Ever since the death of Ganondorf, he had been like a lost puppy, searching for a purpose in a life that he now had to lead on his own. When a twili commander had been patrolling with his group, Zant attacked, tearing the commander's cheek apart and chewing on the flesh until four other guards took a hold of the aggressive being, and now he was a prisoner.

Zant wasn't quite sure what to expect. What would be done with him now to punish him for his wrongdoings? Execution? He wouldn't be surprised... she had attempted to kill him already during his short reign, she could surely do it again. He also knew, however, that the twili people were not known for cruel punishments. In fact, it was mainly a pacifist race, that strayed away from the idea of violence unless absolutely necessary.

He glared at Midna, a cold, unreadable stare, and his orange eyes burned into her flaming red ones. No words were exchanged for a moment before the princess stood, walking down the staircase to stand before him. She stood for a moment, before her hand shot out, gripping his chin and forcing him to look up at her.

"You."

That was all she said, and as she stared into his eyes, she could see that the friend she had from childhood was gone, for now, these eyes no longer carrying the same warmth they had so many years ago. They were cold now, shadowed by corruption.

As she stared him dead in the eye, she thought about just what his punishment would be. Death would be too easy. No, she wouldn't simply let him die and have an easy way out. Her silence set the other twilis in the room on edge, and they had nothing to say, nothing to do but to watch this intense stare down. It was only another moment before Midna let go of his chin, taking a sharp turn, her cape flowing behind her as she walked back to her throne, taking her seat once more. Any longer lingering in front of him, and Zant would have venomously spat in her face, though now all he could do was stare blankly forward, refusing to look at her.

"He will not be executed. We have never had violent ways in our culture, and this applies to Zant as well. He will be kept in the dungeons. Perhaps the solitude will do him some good. I will evaluate him later on to determine further punishments. As of now, he will be treated like the traitor he is and is to be kept in the dungeons until further notice. Do not interact with him, only I will be allowed to speak with the prisoner." Midna said, regaining her composure as an authority figure. She had a job, and she would carry it out to the best of her abilities without letting emotion get in the way. She would see just how far gone he really was later on once he was settled into his cell.

His ears pointed at the mention that he wouldn't be executed. This even made him look up at her with a surprised expression. He tried his best to hide it, though it was written all over his face. Although their people were known to be pacifists, Twilis also were known to be very unpredictable. This brought the former usurper King into a fit of laughter, soon turning almost maniacal, saliva spluttering from his mouth, golden pupils wide from his momentary mental break.

"W-what are you saying? What do you not believe NOT executing me would bring you? I'd rather die than be your prisoner. You will regret that decision, my impudent princess!" Zant screeched, and yet Midna only scoffed at his threat. He truly did want the easy way out. She wouldn't give it to him. The other twilis grew uneasy at his behavior, though Midna remained stone-faced and cold. "No, Zant, I will not allow you to be free of your punishment that easily. And yes, I'm sure you'll make me regret it, yes yes yes." Midna said, mocking his words. "You'll have plenty of time to think about how you'll make me regret my decision while you're rotting away down in prison, alright? Guards, take him away. I'll be down to assess him in a few hours or so. However long I feel like really. I've got all the time in the world, as does our newest addition to the castle." Midna said, one leg crossing over the other as she stared at Zant, eyes locked with his. As she looked he could see just the faintest impish smile appear on her lips.

Panic was now readable in his eyes as he began to fidget away from the guards, who grabbed him with iron grips.

"Let me go! You have no right to do this to your King! I should have been the chosen one! I am the one who belongs here! LET ME GO!" Shrieked Zant, kicking everywhere like a child having a temper tantrum, but nothing helped. He was dragged away, and Midna waved a 'ta-ta for now' gesture, his eyes narrowing at her. as the doors were closed, she could hear his echoing words still audible through the heavy stone doors.

"You will pay for this! You will all pay!"


	2. Author Note

Hello everyone! Wow, I just put up my first chapter last night and already I'm receiving reviews! And already I am receiving many disapproving comments toward my story. I would like to address a few things:

1) I am not deleting this story, nor erasing it. It was my decision to write and post, and I will continue to do so. Some of you may enjoy it, and some may disapprove of the story line, but the bottom line is that this is my work, and I am going to write how I want.

2) Yes, this will be a pairing between Zant and Midna. I understand that it is not canonical in the least, but that's the beauty of fanfiction! It's fictional, and can manipulate the story in whatever way it wishes. Many fanfiction writers pair Zelda and Ganondorf, two sworn enemies. There's no connection between the two besides Ganondorf's lust for the power Zelda possess, but many people still ship them together. It's up to the writer who they want to pair together.

3) No, Midna is not going to become a villain. No, she will not be a sex slave. I don't do slave-type writing. Yuck.

4) Zant may be dead in the games, but he's found alive in this fanfiction. Deal with it, that's how the storyline is being crafted.

5) Yes, Midna will be in danger in this fanfiction. That's just how I keep excitement present, and Midna was in danger during the game as well! It's just part of the thrill in reading and writing fanfiction.

Overall you guys, I appreciate constructive criticism, I always look for new ways to better my writing and storytelling. But I do not appreciate being told to take my story down, that my story sucks, or that what I'm writing is trash. I can't better myself from that feedback, and it's just nasty. If you don't like what the premise is, you don't have to read this, no one is making you stay. But please be kind and considerate, and remember that there is a real person behind the writing that you're commenting on. I will make sure to update this in a few days with a new chapter, stay well until then!


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